How to Travel the World Rent-Free

Despite what every blogger, influencer and travel enthusiast might claim— travel is not always cheap, easy or attainable.

After spending thousands of dollars on our summer itinerary, bouncing back and forth between Airbnbs, schlepping tons of luggage through international airports and trying to attend to our whining cat, we can say with certainty that expenses can (and will) easily get out of hand.

So you’re probably wondering… is there any way to combat this? The answer is yes! We’re going to break down how easy it is to travel the world rent-free!

Ok so if you are great with animals, know how to treat other people’s homes with respect (er or are just a decent person) and love to travel, this website is for you!

Travel Rent-Free: The Way It Works

It’s pretty simple. You housesit in exchange for free accommodation.

Trusted Housesitters is similar to most user-based platforms like Airbnb or Uber. You create an account, make a profile and are judged based on a star-rating system. If you’re just starting out, make sure to add any past experience you might have with housesitting, pets or animal care. This will help you attract users who need housesitters.

Whether you’re looking to housesit or need a housesitter, the platform has a pretty official vetting system that ensures that everything will go according to plan.

What to Expect

-After you’ve made the initial request to housesit for a host, they may ask to have a Skype meeting with you or to see some personal and professional references. This is pretty understandable considering you will be taking care of their home and animals.

-Hosts should leave you with a detailed description of your duties, house rules and any other important information you might need to know. Including; pet behavior, feeding guidelines-are they leaving enough food for the animal or will they reimburse you if you buy food? etc…

A couple in a small Brooklyn studio needs someone to feed and play with their kittens? Sure! A family in Scotland needs caretakers for their horses? Got it!

Make sure you read the profiles and what’s being asked of you before you contact the host or move forward with anything you may not be comfortable with doing.

What Are the Benefits?

You get to immerse yourself in a new community, stay for free and spend some parts of your day hanging out with the animals. Your host gets to go on vacation and feel comfortable knowing that their furry family members are in good hands. It’s really a win-win deal for everyone.

Trusted Housesittershas an Excellent rating on Trustpilot, with users spanning the globe. You should know that there is an annual fee of around $100 USD— but consider this, after staying in free accommodation over the weekend, it basically has already paid for itself.

Thanks for stopping by!

We are a transcontinental couple with a core belief that life is meant to be colored outside of the lines. We created this blog to show other millennials that traveling the world and experiencing new cultures does not have to simply be a dream, but a definite reality! With a little creativity and sacrifice, anything is possible.

We share a passion for meeting new people, discovering diverse cultures and trying new food. We are currently cruising around North America... before we conquer Europe at the end of the summer, grab your bags and join us... pretty please?